


Right and Wrong

by captainamergirl



Category: Beverly Hills 90210 (1990)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 21:55:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11677848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/captainamergirl
Summary: David wants another chance.





	Right and Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> A very angsty one shot based on the revelation in 90210 that David had cheated on Donna.

It was Ruby’s fourth birthday. As Donna watched her daughter play “tea party” with all of her fellow preschool friends, she couldn’t help but remember the moment that she had first held her daughter in her arms. The birth had been long and arduous, lasting over twenty-two hours. David had been there for it all; feeding her ice chips, rubbing her back, squeezing her hand, telling her how beautiful and loved she was, and what a good mother she would be. She had believed him too. As the new baby had slumbered in her arms, she couldn’t remember ever being happier than she was in that moment. She had thought that nothing that amazing could last forever.  
  
She had been right.  
  
Her eyes burned as the memories cascaded over her. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and she looked up, expecting to see Kelly standing there. But it wasn’t Kelly. Not at all.  
  
 _“David?”_ She said, her voice sounding awed and whispery to her own ears. “I thought you couldn’t make it.” Wait, was she dreaming or something? Conjuring David up in her mind because that’s what Ruby had wanted most for her birthday – for her daddy to be there? And because for a moment, Donna herself, had missed him more than she had a right to?  
  
“I had to be here for our little girl’s big day.”  
  
Just then Ruby caught sight of her father and squealed with delight. Her blonde pigtails jiggled as she flew across the room and leapt into his waiting arms. He twirled her round and round in circles that left even Donna feeling dizzy.  
  
“Happy birthday, Peanut,” David said with a wide smile, now peppering her face with whiskery kisses as she laughed happily, saying his beard was tickling her.  
  
Finally, he put her down and she insisted that she introduce him to all of her friends who were watching the happy reunion from the little table in the center of the room. David looked at Donna and she thought she saw longing for a moment there before he was pulled over by Ruby to greet her buddies.  
  
Donna watched as a proud Ruby introduced her daddy to everyone. Donna then stood up, realizing the tots would want cake soon. Plus, exiting to the kitchen gave her time to collect her fraying nerves.  
  
She was soon joined in the kitchen by Kelly and Donna's sister Gina. "What a day huh, Don?” Kelly said as she looped her arm around Donna’s shoulders. “How are you feeling?”  
  
“Fine. Ruby’s having a great day.”  
  
“I think what Kelly meant to say is how are you feeling about your faithless ex showing up at the fiesta?” Gina asked as she swiped a finger along the edge of the cake and licked the frosting from her nail.  
  
“Gina, don’t do that,” Donna chided her.  
  
“What, steal icing, or ask about David the Dickhead?”  
  
“Uh, both,” Donna said, shifting from foot to foot.  
  
“Just answer the question,” Gina said.  
  
“Gina, stop pushing her,” Kelly said.  
  
“How about I push you off the balcony then?” Gina said with a bawdy laugh. Kelly glared at her, looking half ready to strangle her. Some things never changed.  
  
“Break it up, girls. Don’t ruin Ruby’s special day with your bickering.”  
  
“Fine, fine,” Gina said. “But you’re still avoiding the question.”  
  
“I’m not,” Donna said as she hefted the huge cake into her arms and started back for the living room. “There’s just nothing to say.”  
  
XoXoXo  
  
The party lasted longer than planned and Ruby ended up falling to sleep on the sofa with her new American Doll (a present from David) soon afterwards. Kelly, Matt, Gina, Clare and Steve hung around a bit longer, and then made hasty exits when David offered to help Donna clean up. Gina warned him in no uncertain terms not to _“dick around with my sister’s head”_ and then all of them were gone.  
  
It was just Donna and David then, and a sleeping Ruby who was off in dreamland with a happy smile playing on her lips.  
  
In the kitchen, Donna and David fell into step, saying nothing, as they began to move about the kitchen cleaning up, sticking dishes in the sink, doing all the normal things they used to do. Donna had to remind herself at least a million times that things weren’t how they used to be; that everything had changed and nothing could ever be the same again.  
  
“Donna?” David finally spoke up when the kitchen was spic-and-span.  
  
“Yes?” Donna asked, her shoulders instinctively stiffening even as her heart began to race.  
  
“Thanks for inviting me here today.”  
  
“Of course. You’re Ruby’s father.”  
  
“I know but I haven’t exactly been the best dad. I was in Japan for over a year.”  
  
“I remember that, David. Quite well.”  
  
“I should have come back here when you two did. I should have shown you both how much you meant to me.”  
  
Donna shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. Ruby forgives you for staying away so long.”  
  
“And you – can you ever forgive me for what I did?”  
  
Donna said nothing... Just started furiously wiping down the counter again though it was already shining. “Donna,” he said, reaching for her arm, staying her hand in the process. “Look at me. Answer my question.”  
  
Donna yanked free from his grasp. “It doesn’t matter now.”  
  
“It does. It matters a lot.”  
  
“If you’re looking for absolution then here it is. I forgive you because – because of Ruby and because I’ve moved on from you.” She stole a glance at David and could see his expression was pained.  
  
“What if I haven’t moved on from you?” He said quietly.  
  
Her heart clenched in her chest and her eyes flooded with tears. “Don’t say stuff like that. I am sure your girlfriend – Autumn, is it? - wouldn’t appreciate that anyway.”  
  
“There is no more Autumn, Donna. There hasn’t been for over a month now.”  
  
“Oh I get it. You’re rebounding. A month is not a long time –“  
  
“No, it was plenty enough time to realize what I really want – you and Ruby, back in my life, forever…Autumn, she thought she was pregnant,” David said.  
  
“I _so_ don’t want to hear this.”  
  
“Just listen, please. I know you don’t owe me anything but please, just hear me out.”  
  
Donna nodded. “Fine, whatever. Just hurry up so I can go to bed.”  
  
“Autumn had a pregnancy scare,” David explained. “When she told me she was expecting, I honestly wasn’t happy. I was _supposed_ to be happy but I couldn’t be – not like I was when you told me Ruby was coming. And when I found out she wasn’t really pregnant, I hate to admit it, but I felt relieved. So relieved. Because it didn’t feel right to have a family with anyone but you. I admitted that to Autumn and we went our separate ways, and I’ve been thinking for the last month, how I can explain all of this to you. How to make you understand how sorry I am for what I did; for how I fucked up and hurt you and our baby girl. How to ask – to ask for another chance.”  
  
“David!” Donna gasped.  
  
“I know, I know. I have no right to ask that after what I did.”  
  
“Damn right you don’t,” Donna said. “You have no right to come here and say any of this, to expect me to just forget everything - to drop everything, and run back to your arms.”  
  
“Is there someone else?”  
  
Donna tossed the wet rag at him. “Don’t ask me that.”  
  
“Is there?”  
  
“I owe you nothing – certainly not an explanation of how I’ve been living my life since you destroyed everything!” Her voice broke then. “You know what I hated the most? That Ruby lost her father and that I lost my best friend in the whole world. I could live without the romance, the hearts and the flowers, but not your friendship... Still, I dreamt of this moment – where I could tell you off really good, but all I can say is, you hurt me more than anyone has ever hurt me and you hurt our child and I don’t think I can ever overlook that.”  
  
“You don’t have to,” David said. “I don’t expect you to just sweep this under the rug – to pretend it never happened. I fucked up so bad but Donna, you know as well as I do, that we belong together. That we have always belonged together.”  
  
A tear slid down Donna’s cheek and she dashed at it angrily. “You hurt me. I can forgive you but the thing is, I can never trust you again. And without trust, we have nothing. How pathetic do you think I am anyway? Do you really think that you can just waltz back in here and toss around a few nice, apologetic words and everything will be forgotten, that I will just let you back in so easily?”  
  
“Donna, I don’t want it easily. I want to actually work for your love, for your trust again. I owe you that much and a lot more. But please, I am begging you here, give me another chance because I can’t go on otherwise.”  
  
“You can’t go on? You know what? Deal with it, David. Deal with it like I had to when you walked out on me and Ruby.”  
  
“Donna –“  
  
“You can be here for Ruby, David, but there can never be an ‘us’ again. I love you still, beyond reason and what could be healthy, God help me, but I don’t trust you. And I never will again.” She stalked for the kitchen door then and was almost through it when he said her name again. And dammit, she turned back.  
  
“Donna, I’m sorry. I am truly sorry. I am sorry that I hurt you and I’m sorry when I say I can’t give up on you; that I can’t give up on us ever again. I should walk away and let you live your life but we both know I’m selfish and I want what I want – and I want you back. I always wanted you. Somehow I got lost along the way but I never, ever stopped loving you and needing you. I am going to spend the rest of my days making this up to you and Ruby, somehow, some way. And maybe one day, God willing, you can look at me like you used to.”  
  
“Don’t do this… Spend time with Ruby, okay, but please stay away from me.”  
  
“I will earn your trust back, Donna,” he vowed. “Somehow, someway. Just give me the chance, please.”  
  
“I don’t think I can. You wrecked me, you wrecked us, and I’ll never be able to forget that or trust that when things get hard like last time, you won’t walk away again.”  
  
“Then let me prove it to you. You don’t have to take me back right now but please, please, let me just be a part of your world again.”  
  
Another tear dashed down Donna’s cheek. She turned to look back at David finally and saw tears on his face too. “Please. I don’t deserve this, but I want this. I want you. You said you loved me-"  
  
“I do, of course I do, but that doesn’t fix anything!”  
  
“No, it doesn’t, but it’s something to start with, right? It’s something to build on. All I am asking for is a chance to be the man you loved again. Can you give me that chance?”  
  
Donna sighed. “I hate what you did,” she cried. “I hate it so much but you are still the man I loved. You will always be the only man I love. But the truth is, right now, I’m not ready to go back, to open myself up to that kind of pain again. Maybe in a few months, maybe in a year, I’ll want to try again, but right now, David, no. Be there for Ruby but please don’t push me. Let me move on. Let me go.”  
  
“Is that what you want?”  
  
“Deep down, no. I want you to fight tooth and nail for me, but I have to be rational here; I have to keep my head on my shoulders.”  
  
“Love isn’t rational. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it, Donna. That’s what you always told me.” He slowly approached her the way he would a wounded deer and took her hand. She wanted to pull away; hell, she wanted to slap him silly, but all she could do was sag against him in tears.  
  
“Can you just try?” He whispered into her hair as he held her tight. "Please.”  
  
Donna nodded. “I want to try to trust you again, but I can make no promises, David,” she whispered. “I owe you nothing.”  
  
“And I owe you everything,” David said. “But I swear I won’t mess up again. There will never be another moment that you have to doubt how I feel about you.”  
  
No more words were spoken then. There was too much to say and never enough words to make right what had been done wrong. But Donna knew she would try to trust David again - _someday._ To deny him, was to deny herself her happiness, her completeness. Right or wrong, she still loved him. She knew that she always would.  
  
THE END.


End file.
